The present invention relates to supporting merchandise management by using a computer system for controlling the overall management of the merchandising cycle at a retail store which sells goods by repeating analysis on changes in a trading area caused by changes in the area environment and each of the operational elements from:
a department layout planning; department arrangement planning; goods assortment planning; and planning of goods layout on each gondola to an ordering, delivering, inspection and storage, layout (gondola filling), and sales on the bases of the analytical results.
For the information processing system for retailing stores, gondola filling planning support systems for supporting the planning of a goods layout on each gondola are discussed in Hitachi Review, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 67-72 (1989-2) and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,322. The systems discussed, first request the user interactively to establish a precondition of goods assortments. Then in accordance with the precondition and data, such as the sales results, standard sales prices, etc., the goods assortments are automatically decided by utilizing a knowledge basis, and the results are output on the terminal display screen of a computer system. If the user is not satisfied with the output goods assortment proposal, the user can modify it by interacting with the system. Then, in accordance with data, such as the result of an assortment, the sizes of the gondola and goods, etc., a goods layout proposal is automatically decided by utilizing the knowledge basis, and the result thereof is displayed as a color image on the screen of the computer terminal. If required, the result is displayed in terms of the goods classifications by different containers, etc., and the goods popularity such as goods of middle profits and sales, goods of low profits and low sales, etc. If the user is not satisfied with the result of the goods layout, the user can modify it interactively.
For some other information processing systems, a vehicle marshal planning support system for supporting plans on consignment arrangement and operational routing for each individual vehicle is discussed in Measurement and Control, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 31-36. This system first predicts the following day's delivery volume based on the information on orders received, and decides the kinds and numbers of vehicles to be used in accordance with the result of the prediction and restrictive conditions caused by different destinations and varieties of the consignment. Then, finally, the system decides the vehicle and driver for the delivery. To make these decisions, a knowledge basis is used.
For others, many information processing systems developed for different types of retailing stores are discussed in Measurement and Control, Vol. 28, No. 1, 1989 of the SICE, pp. 31-36.